ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect difference between fire needle combined with chemotherapy and fire needle on quality of life in patients with chemotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>With randomized controlled method, a total of 60 patients with chemotherapy of NSCLC were divided into an observation group (fire-needle plus chemotherapy group) and a control group (chemotherapy group), 30 cases in each one. The observation group was treated with fire needle atpoints which consisted of Geshu (BL 17) and Danshu (BL 19), combined with chemotherapy selected from TP (paclitaxel+cisplatin)/GP (gemcitabine+cisplatin)/DP (docetaxel+cisplatin)/NP (vinorelbine+cisplatin) by the oncologist according to patients' condition. The fire needle was given once a day for 7 days, and chemotherapy was given for 21 days. The control group was treated with chemotherapy alone for 21 days. Before and after treatment, response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) was applied for evaluation, and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) and functional assessment of cancer therapy-lung (FACT-L) were applied for evaluation of quality of life in patients with chemotherapy of NSCLC.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The effective rate was 20.0% (6/30) and the stability rate was 73.3% (22/30) in the observation group, which were insignificantly higher than 16.7% (5/30) and 63.3% (19/30) in the control group, respectively (both>0.05). The KPS after treatment was lower than that before treatment in the control group (<0.05); the KPS after treatment was similar to that before treatment in the observation group (>0.05); the KPS in the observation group after treatment was higher than that in the control group (<0.05). The total score and each item score of FACT-L after treatment were higher than those before treatment in the observation group (all<0.05); the physical score and emotional score of FACT-L after treatment were higher than those before treatment in the control group (both<0.05); the total score, physical score, functional score and subscale score in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group after treatment (all<0.05), while the social/family score and emotional score in the observation group were insignificantly higher than those in the control group (both>0.05). The differences of KPS total score before and after treatment in the two groups had moderate positive correlation with differences of FACT-L total score (<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Fire needle can improve quality of life in patients of NSCLC chemotherapy.</p>
ABSTRACT
Objective To compare the analgesic effects of fire needling, conventional acupuncture and acupoint catgut embedding in rats with rheumatoid arthritis.Methods Fifty healthy male SD rats were randomized into control, model, acupuncture, fire needling and catgut embedding groups, 10 rats each. A SD rat model of rheumatoid arthritis was made by intracutaneous injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant into the right hind foot pad. Right Kunlun and Zusanli were selected as therapeutic points in the three groups and given fire needling, acupuncture or catgut embedding. The right paw mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were used as observation indices and measured in every group of rats at one day before and four days after model making and at one, seven and fourteen days after the beginning of treatment. Rat paw inflammatory tissues were separated after the completion of treatment. The IL-1 and TNF-α contents of them were measured. Results There were statistically significant differences in MWT and TWL between the model, acupuncture, fire needling or catgut embedding group and the control group after model making, and one, seven and fourteen days of treatment (P<0.01). There were statistically significant differences in MWT and TWL between the fire needling group and the model, acupuncture or catgut embedding group after one, seven and fourteen days of treatment (P<0.01,P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in MWT between the acupuncture or catgut embedding group and the model group after one, seven and fourteen days of treatment (P<0.01). There was a statistically significant difference in TWL between the acupuncture or catgut embedding group and the model group after seven and fourteen days of treatment (P<0.01,P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in IL-1 and TNF-α contents between the model, acupuncture, catgut embedding or fire needling group and the control group after model making (P<0.01). after treatment, there were statistically significant differences in IL-1 and TNF-α contents between the acupuncture, catgut embedding or fire needling group and the model group and between the acupuncture or catgut embedding group and the fire needling group (P<0.05).Conclusions Fire needling can raise pain threshold in rats with rheumatoid arthritis. It alleviates rheumatoid arthritis-induced chronic pain by reducing the inflammatory factor content of affected muscular tissues.
ABSTRACT
Based on the pathogenesis and symptom of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), professor LIN Guohua's unique opinion and method for RA in clinical treatment are summarized and analyzed. In the opinion of Professor Lin, RA is considered as "Jinbi" and "Gubi" in TCM, which is caused by deficient root with superficial excess. Based on the symptoms of RA, attention should be focused on lung-kidney diagnosis and treatment, and gold and catgut implantation at acupoint can be mutually combined, which is aimed to provide a special and effective method for clinical treatment of RA.