Combined Use of the Points Shenmai and Zhaohai for Treatment of Craniofacial Diseases

Shenmai (BL 62) and Zhaohai (KI 6), first recorded in A Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (针灸甲乙经), are respectively the starting point of the YangqiaoChannel and the Yinqiao Channel, and they are two of the eight confluence points. Although records about the right-left compatible use of these two points can be found in documents, the same-side compatible use of them has never been heardabout. Inspired by the good therapeutic effects in the treatment of paralytic strabismus by means of the same-side compatible use of these two points1, the author has applied this compatible use of them in the treatment of craniofacial diseases and obtained obvious therapeutic effects. Some of the sample cases are reported in the following. ……

Difficult treatment decisions in autoimmune hepatitis

Treatment decisions in autoimmune hepatitis are complicated by the diversity of its clinical presentations,uncertainties about its natural history,evolving opinions regarding treatment end points,varied nature of refractory disease,and plethora of alternative immu-nosuppressive agents. The goals of this article are to review the difficult treatment decisions and to provide the bases for making sound therapeutic judgments. The English literature on the treatment problems in au-toimmune hepatitis were identifi ed by Medline search up to October 2009 and 32 years of personal experi-ence. Autoimmune hepatitis may have an acute severe presentation,mild in? ammatory activity,lack autoan-tibodies,exhibit atypical histological changes (centri-lobular zone 3 necrosis or bile duct injury),or have variant features reminiscent of another disease (overlap syndrome). Corticosteroid therapy must be instituted early,applied despite the absence of symptoms,or modified in an individualized fashion. Pursuit of normal liver tests and tissue is the ideal treatment end point,but this objective must be tempered against the risk of side effects. Relapse after treatment withdrawal requires long-term maintenance therapy,preferably with azathioprine. Treatment failure or an incomplete response warrants salvage therapy that can include conventional medications in modified dose or empiricaltherapies with calcineurin inhibitors or mycophenolate mofetil. Liver transplantation supersedes empirical drug therapy in decompensated patients. Elderly and pregnant patients warrant treatment modifications. Difficult treatment decisions in autoimmune hepatitis can be simplified by recognizing its diverse manifestations and individualizing treatment,pursuing realistic goals,applying appropriate salvage regimens,and identifying problematic patients early.

Exploration of Key Points in Evaluation Criteria of Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Cancer

Although tumor node metastasis （TNM） staging in WM has been accepted and used with no reserve in the criteria of CM diagnosis and treatment of cancer, some differences still exist between CM and WM in the evaluation criterion. The reason for this focuses on evaluation criterion of effects on solid tumor made by the World Health Organization （WHO）, which does not reflect some aspects such as survival time of tumor patients or improvement in quality of life （QOL）. Therefore, forerunners in the CM field have been making efforts to try to find an evaluation criteria that would integrate CM and WM, and thus could be approved by CM and WM specialists.

Arc-length technique for nonlinear finite element analysis

Nonlinear solution of reinforced concrete structures, particularly complete load-deflection response, requires tracing of the equilibrium path and proper treatment of the limit and bifurcation points. In this regard, ordinary solution techniques lead to instability near the limit points and also have problems in case of snap-through and snap-back. Thus they fail to predict the complete load-displacement response. The arc-length method serves the purpose well in principle, received wide acceptance in finite element analysis, and has been used extensively. However modifications to the basic idea are vital to meet the particular needs of the analysis. This paper reviews some of the recent developments of the method in the last two decades, with particular emphasis on nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforced concrete structures.

Effect of electroacupuncture at“ Zúsānlǐ”(足三里 ST 36) and other lower he-sea points on the expression of TNF-α and NF-κB of acute gastric mucosal lesion rats

Objective To contrastively observe the effect of electroacupuncture at lower he-sea points of stomach, large intestine, small intestine and gallbladder of acute gastric mucosal lesion（AGML） model rats on the expression of serum high mobility group protein B 1（HMGB 1）, tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α） and nuclear factor-κB（NF-κB） of gastric tissue, and to explore whether the lower he-sea points of stomach have relative specificity in treatment of stomach diseases. Methods Seventy healthy SD rats were randomly divided into seven groups, including control group, model group, ＂Zúsānlǐ＂（足三里 ST 36） group, ＂Shàngjùxū＂（上巨虚 ST 37） group, ＂Xiàjùxū＂（下巨虚 ST 39） group, ＂Yánglíngquán＂（阳陵泉 GB 34） group and ＂Chéngjīn＂（承筋 BL 56） group, with five male rats and five female rats in each group. Acute gastric mucosal lesion model was established by applying WRS method. After successful modeling and treatment for ten days, sampling was conducted, gastric mucosal lesion was observed visually and scored, the levels of serum HMGB 1 and gastric tissue TNF-α were detected by ELISA method, and the expression of NF-κB was detected by immunohistochemical method. Results①Compared with the model group, the levels of Ulcers and inflammation（UI） in gastric mucosal and serum HMGB1, and the expression of gastric tissue TNF-α and NF-κB in the four lower he-sea points groups reduced（P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）;② compared with ST 36 group, the levels of gastric mucosal UI and serum HMGB1, and the expression of gastric mucosal TNF-α and NF-κB in other treatment groups increased significantly, and the difference was statistically significant（P〈0.01 or P〈0.05）. Conclusion①Electroacupuncture at relevant lower he-sea points can inhibit the body＇s immune response, relieve inflammatory reaction and reduce mucosal lesion by regulating HMGB 1, TNF-α and NF-κB, so as to realize the intervention and treatment on AGML rats;② the total intervention effect in ST 36 group is superior to that in other groups, indicating partially that there is a relative specificity between ST 36 and stomach.

Curative effect of scraping therapies on lumbar muscle strain

OBJECTIVE:To explore factors influencing the curative effect of scraping therapies (at acupoints or along channels) and to determine the relationship of scraping site and strength to curative effect. METHODS: Two hundred and ten patients with lumbar muscle strain were divided into five groups with 42 patients each.The "scraping therapy at acupoint until appearance of skin eruptions" and "scraping therapy along channel until appearance of skin eruptions" groups were treated with a 4-daycourse. The "scraping therapy at acupoint without appearance of skin eruptions", "scraping therapy along channel without appearance of skin eruptions", and acupuncture groups were treated with a 2-day course.The five groups were treated with seven courses. The visual analog scale (VAS), oswestry disability index (ODI), and lumbago scores were recorded in the five groups before treatment, after each treatment, and in follow-up visits one month and three months after treatment. RESULTS: VAS, ODI, and lumbago scores after treatment improved in the five groups (P<0.01). There was a statistical difference (P<0.01) in the change of VAS scores by appearance of skin eruptions and scraping site. CONCLUSION: Scraping therapy can effectively alleviate lumbago symptoms. The appearance of skin eruptions and scraping therapy along channels can enhance the curative effect of scraping therapy.