[Observation on therapeutic effect of needle-knife for dry mouth and eyes symptoms of primary Sjögren's syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy of needle-knife and hydroxychloroquine sulfate in the treatment of dry mouth and eyes symptoms of primary Sjögren's syndrome. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. In the observation group, needle-knife was used in the range of 2 cm and 2-3 cm below the occipital protuberance, the left and right lateral bone edges of the C2 spinous process, between and within the range of 1.5-3 cm beside the C3 and C4 spinous processes, points between the left and right mandibular angle and the mastoid, the treatment was given 1 time a week for 8 times. The hydroxychloroquine sulfate was applied 0.2 g each time, 2 times daily, 4 weeks as a course and a total of 2 courses in the control group. The changes of salivary flow rate, tear volume, serum immunoglobulin IgG, IgA, IgM contents and Chinese medicine symptom score were observed before and after treatment in the two groups, and the efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: The total effective rate in the observation group was 86.7% (26/30), which was better than 70.0% (21/30) in the control group (P<0.05). The salivary flow rates, tear volume, serum IgG contents and Chinese medicine symptom scores in the two groups were significantly improved after treatment (all P<0.05), and the improvement degree in the observation group was better than the control group (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in IgA and IgM between the two groups and before and after treatment (all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Needle-knife is superior to hydroxychloroquine sulfate in improving dry mouth and eyes symptoms and reducing serum IgG content in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Acupuncture does not protect against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced damage of dopaminergic neurons in a preclinical mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Acupuncture treatment, a complementary and alternative medicine, is associated with a suggested neuroprotective effect in previous preclinical studies of Parkinson's disease (PD); however, results from human clinical trials have been mixed or unsuccessful. Recent systematic reviews of translational neuroprotective studies showed that the supposed efficacy is confounded by low methodological quality, particularly by a lack of randomization and concealed allocation. We sought to replicate previous experimental findings with a study design that mitigates the introduction of bias, including randomization, blinded outcome measures, sham acupuncture application, and allocation concealment by blinded neurotoxin administration. We performed 12 sessions of manual acupuncture at acupoint GB34 (yanglingquan) in mice that were administered the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine neurotoxin for five consecutive days. In this animal model of PD, acupuncture treatment did not attenuate tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neuronal death, depletion of striatal dopamine levels, or reduced striatal tyrosine hydroxylase expression. Our results indicate that acupuncture is not neuroprotective against nigrostriatal loss in a subacute 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine mouse model of PD.

[Efficacy Observation for Treating Ankylosing Spondylitis by Chinese Herbs and Recombinant Hu- man Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor II-Antibody Fusion Protein].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of Chinese medical (CM) syndrome differentiation based Chinese herbs and recombinant human tumor necrosis factor receptor II-antibody fusion protein (etanercept) for treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. METHODS: Totally 35 AS patients were treated with syndrome differentiation based Chinese herbs and etanercept. Reinforcing Shen and strengthening Du channel, activating meridians to stop pain was principle used in syndrome differentiation based treatment. Etanercept was subcutaneously injected, 25 mg each time; twice per week for the first three months and once a week for the latter three months. The clinical efficacy was evaluated after 3 and 6 months of treatment. Meanwhile, ASAS20 and ASAS50 standards arriving rates were also observed. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), visual analog score (VAS) for spine pain, VAS for night pain, patient global assessment (PGA), VAS for physician global assessment, CM syndrome score, finger-ground distance, thoracic activity, tragus-wall distance, lumbar scoliosis, cervical rotation, Schober improved test, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were observed before treatment, 3 and 6 months after treatment. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, BASDAI, BASFI, VAS for spine pain, night pain, physician global assessment, PGA, CM syndrome score, finger-ground distance, thoracic activity, tragus-wall distance, lumbar scoliosis, Schober improved test, ESR, and CRP all decreased after 3 and 6 months of treatment, with statistical difference (P < 0.05). Cervical rotation also decreased after 6 months of treatment, with statistical difference (P < 0.05). Compared with 3 months of treatment, total effective rate of CM syndrome, ASAS20 and ASAS50 standards arriving rates increased after 6 months of treatment, with statistical difference (P < 0.05). There were statistical differences in all indices mentioned above between after 3 months of treatment and after 6 months of treatment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Syndrome differentiation based Chinese herbs combined etanercept could alleviate inflammatory reaction favorably, control the progression of active AS, and improve joint functions.

Effect of dietary vitamin E and selenium supplementation on growth, body composition, and antioxidant defense mechanism in juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) fed oxidized fish oil.

Six oxidized fish oil contained diets were formulated to investigate the effect of graded levels of vitamin E (V(E)) (α-tocopherol acetate: 160, 280, and 400 mg kg(-1)) associated with either 1.2 or 1.8 mg kg(-1) selenium (Se) on growth, body composition, and antioxidant defense mechanism of juvenile largemouth bass. Another control diet containing fresh fish oil with 160 mg kg(-1) V(E) and 1.2 mg kg(-1) Se was also prepared. Over a 12-week feeding trial, about 5 % of Micropterus salmoide fed diet OxSe1.2/V(E)160 showed inflammation and hemorrhage symptoms at the base of dorsal, pectoral, and tail fin. Fish in all treatments survived well (above 90 %). Feed intakes (88.42-89.58 g fish(-1)) of all treatments were comparable. Growth performances (weight gain and specific growth rate) and feed utilization (feed and protein efficiency ratio) were significantly impaired by dietary oil oxidation, and they did not benefit from neither V(E) nor Se supplementation. Regardless of dietary V(E) and Se supplementation, oxidized oil ingestion resulted in markedly decreased hepatosomatic index and intraperitoneal fat ratio. Oxidized oil ingestion also induced markedly lower liver and muscle lipid contents, and these effects could be alleviated by dietary Se supplementation. Dietary oil oxidation stimulated hepatic catalase activities relative to the control, and supplementation of V(E) abrogated this effect. Hepatic reduced glutathione content in the control was markedly higher than that of treatment OxSe1.2/V(E)160, without any significant differences comparing with the other oxidized oil receiving groups. Hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity and liver Se concentration reflected dietary Se profile, whereas liver V(E) level reflected dietary V(E) profile. Compared with the control, fish fed diet OxSe1.2/V(E)160 obtained markedly higher serum, liver and muscle malondialdehyde contents, which droppe significantly with increasing either V(E) or Se supplementation. In conclusion, the overall results in this study suggested that both V(E) and Se inclusion could protect largemouth bass from the oxidative damage challenged by dietary oil oxidation.