Effects of combined acupuncture and medication on hyperarousal state and serum copeptin in patients with chronic insomnia / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To observe the effect of combined acupuncture and medication on hyperarousal state and serum copeptin(CPT)in patients with chronic insomnia(CI),and to explore its possible mechanism of action.Methods:A total of 70 CI patients meeting the inclusion criteria were divided into an observation group and a control group by the random number table method,with 35 cases in each group.The control group was given estazolam tablets before bedtime,1 mg/time,once a day.The observation group was treated with additional Yi Nao An Shen acupuncture therapy(acupuncture for benefiting the brain and tranquillization)on the basis of the medication treatment,4 times a week.After 4 weeks of treatment,the Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)score,insomnia severity index(ISI)score,pre-sleep arousal scale(PSAS)score,hyperarousal scale(HAS)score,and the change in serum CPT level were compared between the two groups.Results:During the study,there were 2 dropout cases in the observation group and 1 dropout case in the control group.After treatment,the PSQI,ISI,PSAS,and HAS scores and the serum CPT level in both groups decreased compared with the same group before treatment,and the intra-group differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).After treatment,changes in each above scale score and the serum CPT level in the observation group were much more significant and were statistically different from those in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture plus medication can improve sleep quality,reduce the degree of insomnia,and regulate hyperarousal state in patients with CI,and its mechanism of action may be related to the down-regulation of serum CPT level.

Influence of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion on lumbar functions and inflammatory factors in patients with lumbar disc herniation due to kidney deficiency and blood stasis / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the efficacy of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion for lumbar disc herniation (LDH) due to kidney deficiency and blood stasis and observe the influence of this method on lumbar functions and inflammatory factors in patients with this condition. Methods: A total of 120 LDH patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into three groups, including a herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group, a flour cake-partitioned moxibustion group, and a Western medication group, with 40 patients in each group. The patients in the Western medication group were treated with diflunisal tablets, 0.5 g per dose, 2 doses a day. Those in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group were treated with additional herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group at Back-Shu Points and Jiaji (EX-B2) Points once a day. Those in the flour cake-partitioned moxibustion group were treated with the same methods as in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group, except that the herbal cake was replaced by a flour cake. All the patients were treated for 10 d. After treatment, the scores of the visual analog scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) and the changes of the interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and substance P (SP) levels were observed, and the efficacy was evaluated. Results: After treatment, the VAS score and the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and SP were lower than those before treatment, and the JOA score was higher than that before treatment in the three groups, indicating intra-group statistical significance (P<0.05). The VAS score and the levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and SP of the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group were lower than those of the flour cake-partitioned moxibustion group and the Western medication group, while the JOA score of the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group was higher than that of the other two groups, indicating inter-group statistical significance (P<0.05). The total effective rate of the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group was 92.5％, higher than that of the flour cake-partitioned moxibustion group (80.0％) and the Western medication group (72.5％), indicating inter-group statistical significance (P<0.05). Conclusion: On the basis of Western oral medication, additional herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion can alleviate the pain and improve the lumbar functions in patients with LDH due to kidney deficiency and blood stasis. The efficacy of the integrated method is better than that of either flour cake-partitioned moxibustion or Western medication alone, which may be related to the reduction of serum inflammatory factors.

Effect of electroacupuncture at Ganshu (BL 18) and Shenshu (BL 23) on the expression of EphB2 protein in cortex around cerebral infracted area of rat / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the expression of erythropoie-tin-producing hepatocyte receptor B2 (EphB2) in the cortex around the infracted area of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats at different timing, and to reveal the possible mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of cerebral ischemia. Methods:A total of 180 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, a model group, an acupoint group and a non-acupoint group, with 45 rats in each group. Rats in each group were further divided into three subgroups: postoperative 3 d, postoperative 14 d and postoperative 21 d groups, with 15 rats in each subgroup. The MCAO model was made by the modified occlusion method. The neurological function score, 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, immunohistochemistry assay, immunofluorescence double labeling method and Western blot were used to detect the corresponding indicators. Results:The neurological impairment of rats was most obvious at postoperative 3 d, and then gradually improved with time, which was more significant in the acupoint group (P Conclusion:Electroacupuncture at Ganshu (BL 18) and Shenshu (BL 23) can significantly improve the neurological function and cerebral infarcted volume ratio of MCAO rats, which may be related to the activation of EphB2 expression in cortex around the infracted area and the promotion of synaptic remodeling.

Systematic Review of Acupuncture plus Rehabilitation for Post-Stroke Spasm / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To systematically review the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture plus rehabilitation in treating post-stroke spasm and to summarize the commonly-used acupoints.Method The randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized trials of acupuncture plus rehabilitation for post-stroke spasm published from January 1 of 2005 to December 31 of 2014 in China were retrieved from CNKI, WanFang database, and VIP database, etc. by using computer. The eligible studies were recruited for review. Result Totally 15 studies were enrolled. The Meta-analysis showed that the most commonly used acupoints in acupuncture treatment for post-stroke spasm were Quchi (LI 11), Jianyu (LI 15), Hegu (LI 4), Tianjing (TE 10), Waiguan (TE 5), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Chize (LU 5), and so on. Compared to the controls, acupuncture plus rehabilitation had significantly better effective rate [OR=3.13, 95%CI (2.00,4.89),P<0.00001], recovery rate [OR=2.42, 95%CI (1.53,3.83),P=0.0002], MAS score [MD=﹣0.48, 95%CI (﹣0.62,﹣0.35),P<0.00001], FMA score [MD=5.58, 95%CI (4.96,6.20),P<0.00001], and NDS score [SMD=﹣0.68,95%CI (﹣0.91,﹣0.44),P<0.00001].Conclusion Acupuncture plus rehabilitation can effectively mitigate the post-stroke spasm and is worth promoting in clinic; more high-quality researches are expected as the quality of the currently recruited trials is not so satisfactory.

Investigation of adjuvant treatment for difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective To investigate the value of drug intervention for difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation. Methods A prospective single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted. 120 patients with difficult weaning from mechanical ventilation encountered in Department of Critical Care Medicine of Peking University Third Hospital from January 2008 to December 2013 were included,and the patients were divided into treatment group and control group according to random number table,with 60 cases in each group. Patients received furosemide therapy in the treatment group 3 days before weaning up to 48 hours after weaning in order to control negative liquid balance. Enema was given the day before weaning to reduce abdominal pressure. On the weaning day,all of the patients received nitroglycerin and beta blocker or cedilanid to prevent or control elevation of blood pressure and heart rate in the process of weaning. All patients in treatment group received anisodamine in small dosage 2 hours before extubation.The patients in control group received conventional treatment without drug intervention. Baseline indexes of two groups were compared,including the heart rate,respiration rate(RR),mean arterial pressure(MAP),pulse blood oxygen saturation(SpO2),blood gas,hemoglobin(HG),albumin(ALB)and creatinine(Cr). The main reasons of difficulty in weaning,sedative and analgesic drug selection,presence of abdominal discomfort before weaning,interval between sputum suction before extubation,liquid balance at the beginning of the investigation and at time of weaning,24 hours and 48 hours after weaning,failures of spontaneous breathing test(SBT),length of mechanical ventilation,length of ICU stay,and total length of mechanical ventilation and total length of ICU stay during hospitalization. Results There was no statistically significant difference in the heart rate,RR,MAP,SpO2,blood gas,HG,ALB,Cr at the beginning of the investigation between the two groups. The main reasons for difficult weaning in both groups of patients were respiratory dysfunction,cardiac insufficiency,and central nervous system dysfunction. The use of propofol combined dexmedetomidine in the treatment group was more frequent than the control group〔16.7%(10/60)vs. 1.7%(1/60),χ2=8.107,P=0.004〕,and there was no statistically significant difference in the use of other combinations of sedative drugs between the two groups. Abdominal discomfort before weaning was milder in treatment group as compared with control group〔10.0%(6/60)vs. 25.0%(15/60),χ2=4.675,P=0.031〕. The interval between sputum suction before extubation in the treatment group was significantly longer than that of the control group〔hours:1(1,2)vs. 1(1,1),Z=-2.209,P= 0.027〕. SBT failure was less frequent in treatment group compared with control group〔times:0(0,1)vs. 1(1,2),Z=-6.561,P=0.000〕. Liquid balance was better in the treatment group than the control group at time of weaning,24 hours and 48 hours after weaning〔at time of weaning:-567.71 (-755.95,-226.41)vs. 1 256.76(472.48,1 796.63),Z=-9.038,P=0.000;24 hours after weaning:-5.03 (-530.28,245.09)vs. 342.28(125.36,613.25),Z=-4.711,P=0.000;48 hours after weaning:115.50(-450.26, 485.00)vs. 330.00(16.25,575.25),Z=-1.932,P=0.053〕. Compared with control group,length of mechanical ventilation〔days:1.0(1.0,2.0)vs. 2.0(2.0,3.0),Z=-6.545,P=0.000〕,ICU stay time〔days:3.0(3.0,4.0) vs. 4.0(4.0,5.0),Z=-6.545,P=0.000〕,and total length of mechanical ventilation〔days:8.0(6.0,12.0)vs. 11.0(8.0,15.0),Z=-4.091,P=0.000〕and total length of ICU stay during hospitalization〔days:12.5(9.2,19.0) vs. 17.0(12.0,29.5),Z=-2.722,P=0.000〕were all significantly shorter in the treatment group. Conclusions Adjuvant drugs therapy is helpful in patients weaning from the mechanical ventilation,and can shorten length of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay time. Propofol,combined dexmedetomidine,is helpful for weaning.