Effect of acupuncture on early cerebral palsy infants with parafunctional sitting position: a multi-centre, randomized, control research / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical effect of development theory based acupuncture on early cerebral palsy (CP) infants with parafunctional sitting position.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 120 early CP infants were randomly assigned to two groups equally, the treatment group and the control group. All received acupuncture combined with training rehabilitation. Patients in the treatment group adopted acupuncture based on infants development theory, while those in the control group were treated by head acupuncture. Sitting functional points in Gross motor function measure (GMFM) 88 were observed in different groups and infant patients of various types before and after treatment. Root mean square (RMS) signals of sitting correlated muscles (latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, rectus abdominis) were recorded by surface electromyography (sEMG). The effective rate was evaluated by Nimodipine method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with before treatment, sitting functional points were significantly improved in the two groups (P<0.01). After treatment, it was higher in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.01). The advance amplitude was higher in CP infants of the spastic type and the hypotonic type than other types (P<0.01). Along with sitting process, latissimus dorsi RMS signals were gradually tapered, erector spinae RMS signals were gradually enhanced, and rectus abdominis RMS signals were slightly weakened. Compared with the control group, latissimus dorsi RMS signals obviously decreased, and erector spinae RMS signals obviously increased in the treatment group after treatment (all P<0.01). The total effective rate was higher in the treatment group than in the control group (89.29% vs. 77.78%, P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Infants development theory based acupuncture could effectively elevate dorsi-extensor muscles force, improve sitting position of 8 months to 1 year old CP infants with parafunctional sitting position.</p>

Effects of mild warming moxibustion on acupoints Shenque (RN8) and Guanyuan (RN4) for prevention and treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infection in children with cerebral palsy / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical effect of mild warming moxibustion (MWM) on acupoints Shenque (RN8) and Guanyuan (RN4) for treatment of recurrent respiratory tract infection (RRTI) in children with cerebral palsy (CP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Sixty-four CP patients with RRTI were randomly and equally assigned to two groups, all received conventional rehabilitation treatment, but in acute infection stage, MWM was applied on the treated group, and intravenous dripping of immunoglobulin was given to the control group, all for 3 months. The frequency of RRTI attacking (Fre), the mean cough alleviating time (T-CA) and rale disappearing time (T-RA) during infection, as well as the serum levels of immune globulins during the post-treatment 1-year follow-up period were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The effectiveness in the treated group was better than that in the control group, showing in aspects of Fre (2.38 +/- 0.64 times vs. 6.50 +/- 0.84 times), T-CA (3.92 +/- 1.32 days vs. 6.48 +/- 2.18 days) and T-RA (4.66 +/- 1.82 days vs. 7.64 +/- 1.44 days), significant difference was shown between groups (P < 0.01). The serum levels of IgG, IgM and IgA all raised in both two groups (P < 0.05), comparison of immunoglobulin levels between groups showed that they were lower immediately after treatment, but higher at the end of the 1-year follow-up in the treated group than those in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MWM on acupoints Shengue and Guanyuan has a better and long-term clinical effect for treatment of RRTI in children with CP.</p>

Effect of warming moxibustion on Shenque acupoint for the treatment of acute diarrhea in children with infantile cerebral palsy / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of warming moxibustion on Shenque acupoint (RN8) for the treatment of acute diarrhea in children with infantile cerebral palsy (ICP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical observation was performed on 60 ICP children suffering from acute diarrhea, who were randomly assigned to two groups equally. The Mox group was treated with warming moxibustion on Shenque acupoint (RN8) and the control group treated with Smecta. The efficacy was evaluated by markedly effective rate and total effective rate after a 6-day treatment, diarrhea arresting time as well as stool examination normalization rate and rotavirus negative reversion rate after a 3-day treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total effective rate in the two groups was insignificantly different (P>0.05), but the markedly effective rate was significantly higher in the Mox group than in the control group (P<0.01); a significant difference was also seen between groups in terms of diarrhea arresting time, stool examination normalization rate and rotavirus negative reversion rate (all P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Warming moxibustion on Shenque acupoint is an effective treatment for acute diarrhea in ICP children, with advantages of simple manipulation and rapid effect initiation.</p>

Effects of resveratrol on isolated thoracic aorta rings of rats / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relaxative characteristics of resveratrol on thoracic aortic artery in the rat and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>We perfused the isolated rings and observed the response of NA-induced artery contraction to resveratrol under the Ca2+-contained and Ca2+-free bath solutions. In the same way were the effect of reveratrol on the vascular smooth muscle observed by adding two different concentration of KCl (30 and 80 mmol x L(-1)), and the effect on the contraction of the vascular smooth muscle depending on the intracellular calcium and extracellular calcium were also observed by adding NA. We also observed the effect of resveratrol on the contraction of rings induced by NA in the presence of L-NNA and Glibenclamide.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Resveratrol relaxed rat aorta rings precontracted by NA in a dose-dependent manner. The relaxant effect of resveratrol on the rat rings of endothelium-denuded group was reduced compared with that of endothelium-intact group; the relaxant effect of resveratrol on rat rings was higher under the condition of Ca2+-free bath solution than that under the condition of Ca2+-contained bath solution. Resveratrol had a repressive effect on the aorta's contraction induced by intracellular calcium, but had no effect induced by extracellular calcium. Resveratrol relaxed the contractions induced by KCl 30 mmol x L(-1) as well as KCl 80 mmol x L(-1), but the contraction curve of KCl 80 mmol x L(-1) was shifted upward significantly. In the L-NNA group, the relaxant effect was attenuated by (26.0 +/- 4.6) %; but there was no change in the group of Glibenclamide ( P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The results indicate that resveratrol relaxes vascular smooth muscle in an endothelium dependent manner. The mechanisms for this phenomenon seem to be related with promoting synthesis and release of NO, opening Ca2+ activated K+ channel (KCa channel) as well as the inhibition of Ca2+ influx and release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores.</p>