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Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of auricular acupressure plus eye exercises in the treatment of adolescent pseudomyopia, to discover an easier and safer way to treat pseudomyopia. Methods: Forty adolescent patients with pseudomyopia were randomly recruited and assigned (1 : 1) to receive either eye exercises (single group, including 11 males and 9 females) or auricular acupressure plus eye exercises (combined group, including 12 males and 8 females). The clinical endpoint was the clinical efficacy after 28 days of treatment. Results: The baseline characteristics of the combined group were comparable with those of the single group (P > 0.05). Auricular acupressure plus eye exercises was associated with a significantly higher clinical efficacy versus eye exercises alone (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Ear acupressure plus eye exercises features promising clinical efficacy in the treatment of adolescent pseudomyopia, effectively arresting the progression of pseudomyopia to true myopia.
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OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to explore the effects of cross electro-nape-acupuncture (CENA) treatment on the recovery of consciousness and tracheotomy tube sealing in patients with serious cerebral hemorrhage (SCH). METHODS: A total of 60 patients with SCH admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the South Hospital of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2020 to June 2021 were selected and randomized into two groups: the CENA group and a control group, given no acupuncture. Both groups were given the same basic treatment and patients in the CENA group were additionally given CENA treatment. Glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores, mismatch negative wave (MMN) and the cough reflex grading score (TCRGS) were recorded and compared after treatment for four weeks. The time to tracheostomy tube sealing was also recorded. RESULTS: After treatment, the GCS scores and MMN latency values of the two groups were significantly improved, with significantly better GCS scores and MMN latency values in the CENA group than in the control group. After treatment, the two groups of TCRGS were reduced, with more significant decreases in the CENA group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: With CENA, it took less time to achieve recovery of consciousness, improve cough reflex score and shortened the time to tracheal tube cutting and sealing in patients with SCH.
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BACKGROUND: Receptor interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1)-mediated cell death, including apoptosis and necroptosis, belongs to programmed cell death. It has been reported that RIPK1-mediated necroptosis exists in lesions of cerebral hemorrhage (CH). Electroacupuncture, a treatment derived from traditional Chinese medicine, could improve neurological impairment in patients with brain injury. AIM: To investigate the protective role of cross electro-nape acupuncture (CENA) in CH, and clarify the potential mechanism. METHODS: CH rat models were established, and CENA was applied to the experimental rats. Neurological functions and encephaledema were then measured. Necrotic cells in the brain of rats with CH were evaluated by propidium iodide staining. Necroptosis was assessed by immunofluorescence. Activation of the necroptosis-related pathway was detected by western blot. Extraction of brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples was conducted to measure the expression and secretion of inflammatory cytokines by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The necroptotic marker p-MLKL was detectable in the brains of rats with CH. Next, we found that CENA could ameliorate neurological functions in rat models of CH. Moreover, the upregulation of RIPK1-mediated necroptosis-related molecules in the brains of rats with CH were inhibited by CENA. Further investigation revealed that CENA partially blocked the interaction between RIPK1 and RIPK3. Finally, in vivo assays showed that CENA decreased the expression of the inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 in CH rat models. CONCLUSION: These findings revealed that CENA exerts a protective role in CH models by inhibiting RIPK1-mediated necroptosis.
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OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of crossing nape electroacupuncture(EA) on cough count (CCnt), cough incubation period and blood routine, liver function, renal function, myocardial enzymology, and heart, liver and kidney pathological structure in guinea pig with cough reflex disorder after cerebral hemorrhage, so as to evaluate the efficacy and safety of crossing nape EA in the treatment of cough reflex disorder after cerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: A total of 160 male pure white guinea pigs were randomly divided into normal group, model group, acupuncture group, crossing nape EA group and nape EA group (n=32 in each group). These 5 groups were further divided into 1, 3, 7 and 14 d subgroups(n=8 in each subgroup). The model of cough reflex disorder after cerebral hemorrhage was established by injection of the guinea pigs' autoblood (50 µL) into the basal ganglia region confirmed by Longa's neurologic examination grading system(0-4 points). Acupuncture was applied to bilateral "Fengchi" (GB20) and "Yifeng" (SJ17) in the acupuncture group. In the crossing nape EA group, the positive pole of the needle is connected to SJ17, while the negative pole is connected to the opposite side of GB20(2 Hz, 0.5 mA). In the nape EA group, the positive pole of the needle is connected to SJ17, while the negative pole is connected to the same side of GB20(2 Hz, 0.5 mA). All treatments were applied 20 min each time, once a day. The changes of CCnt and cough incubation period were recorded by Buxco device. The changes of blood routine, liver function, kidney function, myocardial enzyme and other laboratory indexes were monitored by automatic analyzer instrument. The pathological changes of heart, liver and kidney of guinea pigs were observed by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, the guinea pigs' neurological deficit scores in the model group were significantly increased at each time point (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the neurological deficit scores of the acupuncture group, crossing nape EA group and nape EA group at 3 d, 7 d and 14 d all decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Following modeling, the CCnt at each time point in the model group was significantly reduced (P<0.01), and the cough latency was significantly prolonged (P<0.01). After interventions, the CCnts were increased and the incubation periods of cough were shortened (P<0.05, P<0.01) at 7 d and 14 d in the 3 intervention groups, and were superior in the crossing nape EA group than those of acupuncture group and nape EA group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The improvement degrees of these 2 indexes in the nape EA group at 14 d were better than those of the acupuncture group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences among the 3 groups in red blood cells counting, hemoglobin, myocardial enzymes, liver and kidney function (P>0.05). Compared with the normal group, the WBC counts in all the time points (except 1 d after operation) were significantly increased(P<0.01) in the model group. In comparison with the model group, the WBC counts at 3 d in crossing nape EA group, and at 7 d and 14 d in the 3 intervention groups decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Meanwhile, the WBC counts were lower in the crossing nape EA group at 7 d and 14 d than those of acupuncture group and nape EA group (P<0.05). The results of transmission electron microscopy showed that the histopathological structure of heart, liver and kidney of guinea pigs in each group had no significant changes. CONCLUSION: Crossing nape EA is safe and effective in the treatment of cough reflex disorder after cerebral hemorrhage in guinea pigs. In addition, guinea pigs will have an inflammatory response after cerebral hemorrhage, and crossing nape EA may have a certain anti-inflammatory effect.