[Status que of acupuncture for strephenopodia after stroke].

In order to optimize acupuncture protocol for stephenipodia after stroke, related papers of the recent 20 years are retrieved. Interrelated factors which may influence the therapeutic effect of acupuncture are analyzed through the aspects such as acupoints, needling methods and opportunities of acupuncture. It is held that importance should be attached on relation between acupoints and anatomy during acupoint selection. Different acupuncture protocol can be adopted in different phases of stephenipodia according to its time of occurrence. And it is found that the combination of acupuncture and rehabilitation can reinforce the therapeutic effect. Relationship between effect of acupuncture and patient's condition, acupoint selection and prescription, acupuncture manipulations (including directions, angles, reinforcing and reducing, quantity of stimulus) are worth to be further studied. On the base of the above all mentioned studies, optimization can be carried out on selection of acupoints and acupuncture manipulations. And therapeutic effect can be enhanced when the optimized acupuncture protocol is combined with rehabilitation therapies.

[The role of acupuncture and moxibustion in organized medicine of pain].

The literature on acupuncture-moxibustion and acupuncture-moxibustion combined with other therapies for all kinds of pain as well as organized medicine of pain in recent ten years are analyzed. It is found out that application of single acupuncture-moxibustion has positive effect on most of pain, while acupuncture-moxibustion combined with other therapies could improve the efficacy in a certain extent. The organized medical model of pain, by integration of clinical paths and optimization of medical methods, could achieve best effect on pain. With acupuncture-moxibustion joining in the organized medical model of pain, the analgesia effect could be enhanced, medical cost decreased and patient's life quality improved. The suitable disease, clinical path, action function and mechanism need further evidence-based research.

[Effect of otopoint-needle embedment on headache and plasma 5-HT content in migraine patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of otopoint-needle embedment on migraine and to explore its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Ninety-two migraine outpatients were equally randomized into acupuncture group and medication group. For patients of the acupuncture group, one sterilized intradermal needle was inserted into E (MA-AT)-point and advanced toward Nie (temple-point, MA-AT), then another inserted into Nie (Temple-point, MA-AT) and advanced toward Zhen (occipus-point, MA-AT), followed by fixing the needles with a piece of adhesive-tape respectively, combined with Wei (stomach-point, MA-IC), Jiaogan (sympathesis-point, MA-AH 7) for migraine patients with nausea and vomiting, and with Yan (eye-point, MA-L 1) for those with phengophobia. Plasma serotonin (5-HT) contents before and after the treatment were detected by fluorescence spectrophotometry. RESULTS: In comparison with the pre-treatment, the synthetic scores of two groups one month and 6 months after the treatment were decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The integrative sores of the acupuncture group one month and 6 months after the treatment were significantly lower than those of the medication group (P < 0.01). The total effective rates of recent efficacy and long-term efficacy of the acupuncture group were 82.61% (38/46) and 83.72% (36/43) respectively, being significantly higher than those [67.39% (31/46) and 57.14% (24/42)] of the medication group. After the treatment, plasma 5-HT content of the acupuncture group was remarkablely higher than that of the medication group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Otopoint-needle implant can effectively relieve headache in migraine patients and upregulate plasma 5-HT level.

[Effects of benzene and selenium on telomerase in mouse lymphocytes in vivo].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of benzene and selenium on telomerase in mouse lymphocytes in vivo and evaluate telomerase activity as an early marker of benzene effects on lymphocytes. METHODS: Male Kunming mice were divided randomly into 8 groups, including negative control group, reagent control group, 100 mg/kg benzene group, 200 mg/kg benzene group, 400 mg/kg benzene group, 200 mg/kg benzene + 0.75 mg/kg selenium group, 200 mg/kg benzene + 1.50 mg/kg selenium group and 200 mg/kg benzene + 3.00 mg/kg selenium group, 5 mice in each group. The mice in different groups were treated with different methods, once daily for 5 days. After 48 hours of the final exposure, lymphocytes were separated and the telomerase activities were detected with TRAPELISA. RESULTS: Compared with negative and reagent control groups, the telomerase activity was increased after treatment with different dose of benzene and at the dose of 100 mg/kg benzene group it was significantly increased (P < 0.01). At the dose of 200 mg/kg benzene + 0.75 mg/kg selenium group, it was significantly increased (P < 0.01). Compared with the counterpart treated with 200 mg/kg benzene group, the expression of telomerase was increased at the different concentrations after treatment with benzene combined with selenium and it was significantly increased at the dose of 200 mg/kg benzene + 0.75 mg/kg selenium group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased telomerase activity in lymphocytes stimulated by benzene at different concentrations indicates activation and proliferation of these lymphocytes of mice in vivo. Telomerase activity is probably a sensitive early marker of lymphocyte proliferation by benzene. Selenium can upregulate the telomerase activity.