Clinical observation on filiform-fire needling of "Biaoben acupoint combination" for 33 cases of sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 during recovery period / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of filiform-fire needling of "Biaoben acupoint combination" on the sequelae of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the recovery period.@*METHODS@#A total of 33 patients with COVID-19 during the recovery period were treated with filiform-fire needling at the acupoints of Mingmen (GV 4), Shenzhu (GV 12), Gaohuang (BL 43), Zusanli (ST 36) and Shangjuxu (ST 37), etc., once every other day, 3 times a week, and 3 times was one course of treatment and totally 2 courses of treatment were required. The TCM symptom, Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) scores, pulmonary function indexes (forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1], peak expiratory flow [PEF]) and chest CT imaging change were observed before and after treatment, and the therapeutic effect was evaluated.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the scores of TCM symptom, HAMA and HAMD were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the levels of FVC, FEV1 and PEF were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and the recovery rate of 22 patients with pulmonary ventilation dysfunction was 86.4% (19/22). After treatment, the lung shadow area was smaller than that before treatment (P<0.05). The effective rate of 25 patients with lung CT abnormalities was 84.0% (21/25). After treatment, 23 cases were cured, 5 cases were markedly effective, 4 cases were effective, 1 case was ineffective, the cured and markedly effective rate was 84.8%.@*CONCLUSION@#The filiform-fire needling of "Biaoben acupoint combination" could significantly reduce the sequelae of cough, fatigue, chest tightness, etc. and mental symptoms such as anxiety and depression in patients with COVID-19 during the recovery period, and promote inflammatory exudation absorption of pulmonary lesion and improve lung ventilation function.

Thumb-tack needles based on "Biaoben acupoint compatibility" for sequela of COVID-19 during recovery period / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the effect of thumb-tack needles based on "Biaoben acupoint compatibility" on sequela symptoms, mental state and pulmonary ventilation function in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during recovery period.@*METHODS@#Fifty cases of COVID-19 during recovery period were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 25 cases in each group. The patients in the observation group were treated with thumb-tack needles at Guanyuan (CV 4), Zusanli (ST 36) and Taiyuan (LU 9). The patients in the control group were treated with sham thumb-tack needles at identical acupoints as the observation group. The treatment in the two groups was given once a day, 7-day treatment was taken as a course of treatment, and totally two courses of treatment were given. The TCM symptom score, Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) score, Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) score, pulmonary function (forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in the first second [FEV1], peak expiratory flow [PEF]), the severity of pulmonary ventilation dysfunction and pulmonary imaging changes in the two groups were compared before and after treatment.@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the total scores and each item scores of TCM symptom scale, HAMA scores and HAMD scores in the two groups were reduced after treatment (P<0.05). Except for the symptom scores of dry throat and dry stool, the total score and each item score of TCM symptom scale, HAMA score and HAMD score in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared before treatment, FVC, FEV1 and PEF in the two groups were increased after treatment (P<0.05), and those in the observation group were higher than the control group (P<0.05). The severity of pulmonary ventilation dysfunction in the two groups was reduced after treatment (P<0.05), and the severity in the observation group was better than that in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the lung shadow area in the two groups was decreased (P<0.05), and that in the observation group was smaller than the control group (P<0.05). The improvement of imaging change in the observation group was better than that in the control group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The thumb-tack needles based on "Biaoben acupoint compatibility" could significantly reduce the sequela symptoms, anxiety and depression in patients with COVID-19 during recovery stage, and improve the pulmonary ventilation function.

Clinical Efficacy of Modified Sanxiaoyin in Treatment of Mild or Moderate COVID-19 Patients： Based on Retrospective Analysis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo retrospectively analyze the clinical data of 52 patients with coronavirus disease-2019 （COVID-19） and explore the clinical efficacy of modified Sanxiaoyin on mild/moderate COVID-19 patients. MethodThe propensity score matching method was used to collect the clinical data of mild or moderate COVID-19 patients enrolled in the designated hospital of the Second Hospital of Jingzhou from December 2019 to May 2020. A total of 26 eligible patients who were treated with modified Sanxiaoyin were included in the observation group， and the 26 patients treated with conventional method were the regarded as the control. The disappearance of clinical symptoms， disappearance time of main symptoms， efficacy on traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptoms， hospitalization duration， laboratory test indicators， and CT imaging changes in the two groups were compared. ResultThe general data in the two groups were insignificantly different and thus they were comparable. After 7 days of treatment， the disappearance rate of fever， cough， fatigue， dry throat， anorexia， poor mental state， and poor sleep quality in the observation group was higher than that in the control group （P<0.05）， and the difference in the disappearance rate of expectoration and chest distress was insignificant. For the cases with the disappearance of symptoms， the main symptoms （fever， cough， fatigue， dry throat， anorexia， chest distress） disappeared earlier in the observation group than in the control group （P<0.01）. After 7 days of treatment， the scores of the TCM symptom scale of both groups decreased （P<0.01）， and the decrease of the observation group was larger that of the control group （P<0.01）. All patients in the two groups were cured and discharged. The average hospitalization duration in the observation group ［（12.79±2.68） d］ was shorter than that in the control group ［（15.27±3.11） d］ （P<0.01）. The effective rate in the observation group （92.31%， 24/26） was higher than that in the control group （76.92%， 20/26） . After 7 days of treatment， the lymphocyte （LYM） count increased （P<0.05）， and white blood cell （WBC） count and neutrophil （NEUT） count decreased insignificantly in the two groups. Moreover， levels of C-reactive protein （CRP）， erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）， and procalcitonin （PCT） reduced in the two groups after treatment （P<0.01） and the reduction in the observation group was larger than that in the control group （P<0.01）. Through 7 days of treatment， the total effective rate on pulmonary shadow in the observation group （90.00%， 18/20） was higher than that in the control group （77.27%， 17/22） （P>0.05） and the improvement of lung shadow in the observation group was better than that in the control group （P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Sanxiaoyin can significantly alleviate fever， cough， fatigue， anorexia， chest distress， poor sleep quality， and other symptoms of patients with mild or moderate COVID-19， improve biochemical indicators， and promote the recovery of lung function. This paper provides clinical evidence for the application of modified Sanxiaoyin in the treatment of mild or moderate COVID-19.

Thunder-fire moxibustion combined with mifepristone for ovarian chocolate cyst dysmenorrhea with kidney deficiency and blood stasis: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To observe the clinical efficacy of thunder-fire moxibustion combined with mifepristone for ovarian chocolate cyst dysmenorrhea with kidney deficiency and blood stasis.@*METHODS@#Seventy patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 35 cases in each group. The patients in the the control group were treated with oral administration of mifepristone, 10 mg each time, once a day; based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with thunder-fire moxibustion at Guanyuan (CV 4), Zigong (EX-CA 1), Xuehai (SP 10), once every other day. Both the groups were treated for 3 months. The Cox menstrual symptom scale (CMSS) score, the maximum cross-sectional area of ectopic cyst, and the serum levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) were observed before and after treatment in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was evaluated.@*RESULTS@#Compared before treatment, the severity scores and duration scores of CMSS as well as the serum levels of TGF-β1 were reduced after treatment in the two groups (@*CONCLUSION@#Thunder-fire moxibustion combined with mifepristone could significantly improve dysmenorrhea symptoms, shorten dysmenorrhea time and promote atrophy of ovarian heterotopic cyst in patients with ovarian chocolate cyst dysmenorrhea of kidney deficiency and blood stasis, and the mechanism may be related to the reduction of serum levels of TGF-β1 and IL-17.

Labdanes and megastigmanes from Vitex negundo var. heterophylla.

The aromatic plants of Vitex negundo var. heterophylla are not only herb medicine but also a functional food and an industrial crop. Its leaves can be used as a functional food for improving human's health, but the previous studies mainly focused on the volatile constituents, lignans, and iridoids. Our research led to the isolation of four new terpenoids (1-4), together with fifteen known compounds including seven flavonoids (9-15), two jasmonates (7-8) and six terpenoids (5-6, 16-19) from the leaves. Among all these compounds, 1, 2, 11, and 19 exhibited strong inhibitory activity against NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 macrophage. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of the most active compound (2) is related to the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2, and the suppression of NF-κB pathway. Therefore, terpenoids and flavonoids from the leaves of Vitex negundo var. heterophylla might be used as potential anti-inflammatory candidates for developing medicine or value-added functional food.

Therapeutic Observation of Surround Electroacupuncture in Relieving Pain After Operation for Mixed Hemorrhoids / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of surround electroacupuncture in relieving pain after operation for mixed hemorrhoids. Method Seventy-two patients with mixed hemorrhoids were randomized into a treatment group and a control group, 36 cases in each group. The two groups both received the corresponding interventions once in 15 min after the operation: the treatment group received electroacupuncture treatment, and the control group was only placed in a simulated environment of electroacupuncture but without receivimg any needling treatment. The pain intensity was evaluated by using Verbal Rating Scale (VRS), Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 11 different time points after the treatment: once every 1 h in 8 h after the treatment, once at the first defecation, once respectively 24 h and 48 h after the treatment. The data were statistically analyzed afterwards. Result At 3 h and 4 h after the treatment and at the first defecation after the treatment, the VRS scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05); respectively at 4 h, 5 h, 6 h, 7 h, and 8 h after the treatment and at the first defecation, the Wong-Baker scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05); respectively at 2 h, 3 h, 4 h, 5 h, 6 h, 7 h, and 8 h after the treatment, at the first defecation, as well as at 24 h after the treatment, the VAS scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05); it indicates that the pain intensity of the treatment group should be lower than that of the control group at the above time points, and the analgesic effect in the treatment group lasts a longer time, running a lower risk of losing effectiveness compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Real-time acupuncture treatment after the operation is significantly effective in relieving pain after operation for hemorrhoids.

Molecular characterization and antimicrobial resistance properties of uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from elderly patients in a district tertiary hospital in shanghai / 中华传染病杂志

Objective To investigate the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance status of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in senior population in Putuo District ,Shanghai .Methods A total of 72 UPEC strains were isolated from elderly inpatients with urinary tract infections in Putuo Hospital ,Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2013 to March 2015 .The strains were characterized by multi‐locus sequence typing (MLST ) .The β‐lactamase gene and the plasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) gene were detected ,and the mutations of quinolone resistance‐determining regions (QRDR) in gyrA and parC genes were demonstrated .In vitro drug susceptibility test was performed .Continuous variables were compared using t test and categorical variables were compared using chi‐squared test or Fisher exact test .Results The UPEC strains showed different resistance rates to ciprofloxacin ,cefotaxime and trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole ,which were 76 .4% ,73 .6% and 65 .3% , respectively .UPEC still remained highly sensitive to imipenem ,meropenem ,amikacin and piperacillin‐tazobactam .Among 72 isolates ,55 (76 .4% ) of 49 (68 .1% ) extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase (ESBL )‐positive strains harbored blaCTX‐M genes .Among the 55 ciprofloxacin resistant strains ,51 (92 .7% ) had three or four mutations in QRDR of gyrA and parC genes .The “hot‐spot” mutations of QRDR were located at amino acid position 83 and 87 in gyrA gene and at positions 80 and 84 in parC gene .Forward analysis by MLST showed that the most frequent sequence types (ST ) were ST131 (18/72 ,25 .0% ) , ST1193(7/72 ,9 .7% ) ,ST405 (7/72 ,9 .7% ) ,ST38 (5/72 ,6 .9% ) and ST648 (3/72 ,4 .2% ) .ST131 isolates were predominant in ST which caused community‐onset urinary tract infections .Multiple drug‐resistance were detected in ST 131 ,ST405 ,ST38 and ST648 which were mainly producing blaCTX‐M ESBL .Conclusions Community‐acquired multiple drug‐resistant UPEC strains such as ST131 clone are prevalent in elderly patients .Thus ,monitoring of molecular epidemiology would be beneficial to prevent the prevalence of multiple drug‐resistant UPEC .

Observation on the effect of previous analgesia of acupuncture on the patients with the mixed hemorrhoid surgery pain / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective To study the effects of previous analgesia of acupuncture on patients with the mixed hemorrhoid surgery pain.MethodsA total of 70 patients with mixed hemorrhoid treated with “Milligan-morgan hemorrhoids” were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 35 patients in each group. The treatment group was treated 30 min prior to the surgery with needling and manipulating Baliao, Chengshan, Hegu every five minutes until the operation, while the control group was not treated before the operation. The patients were assessed by Visual Aualogue Scale and self-reporting Inventory.ResultsAfter the operation, the treatment group was significantly better than the control group in the outcome index of beginning time of pain (14.3 ± 4.9 hvs. 4.2 ± 2.3 h, Z=-5.666,P<0.01) and peak time of pain (17.3 ± 4.5 hvs. 6.0 ± 2.9 h,Z=-5.581,P<0.01). The treatment group was significantly better than the control group in decreasing the pain beginning VAS score (3.3 ± 1.7vs. 4.6 ± 1.7,Z=-2.820, P<0.01) and pain peak VAS score (4.5 ± 2.0vs. 6.5 ± 1.2,Z=-4.025,P<0.05). After surgery, the treatment group was significantly better than the control group in decreasing the score of Self-reporting Inventory scale at the 1stday (1.8 ± 1.3vs. 3.0 ± 1.3),Z=-3.472,P<0.01) and 2ndday (1.2 ± 0.9vs. 1.9 ± 1.2,Z=-2.464,P<0.05). And the treatment group was significantly better than the control group inreducing the quantities of compound aminopyrine phenacetin tablet (0.5 ± 0.9vs.1.5 ± 1.7,t=3.167,P=0.002).ConclusionAcupuncture analgesia 30 minutes prior to the mixed hemorrhoid surgery can significantly reduce the postoperative pain.

Identification of Zanthoxyli Radix and its adulterants using ITS2 barcoding / 中草药

Objective: ITS2 barcoding was used to discriminate Zanthoxyli Radix and its adulterants to ensure the quality and clinical safety of this Chinese materia medica. Methods: The internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions were amplified and sequenced bi-directionally. Then the obtained sequences were assembled using the CodonCode Aligner. The ITS2 regions were obtained using the hidden Markov model (HMM)-based annotation methods. The genetic distances of the ITS2 regions were computed in accordance with the kimura 2-parameter (K2P) model and Neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic trees were constructed using MEGA5.0. Results: The length of ITS2 sequences of the plants in Zanthoxyli Radix and its adulterants were between 224 and 227 bp. Their mean intraspecific genetic distance (K2P distance) was lower than their mean interspecific genetic distance with the adulterants. The NJ trees showed that the roots of Zanthoxyli Radix could be easily distinguished from its adulterants. Conclusion: ITS2 barcode could be used to identify the roots of Zanthoxyli Radix and its adulterants effectively, and provide the important molecular evidence for the authentication of germplasm resources.